On This Day
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Border demarcation markers for Neutral Moresnet, a small territory administered jointly by the Netherlands and Prussia,

Border demarcation markers for Neutral Moresnet, a small territory administered jointly by the Netherlands and Prussia, are installed

Neutral Moresnet was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium (after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom of Prussia. It was 1.5km wide and 2.5km long, with an area of 3.5 square kilometres. After 1830, the territory's northernmost border point at Vaalserberg connected it to a quadripoint shared additionally with the Dutch Province of Limburg, the Prussian Rhine Province, and the Belgian Liège Province. That border point's position is currently represented by the Three-Country Point, the meeting place of the borders of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.

During the First World War, Neutral Moresnet was annexed by Germany.

Historical Significance

Neutral Moresnet was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium (after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom of Prussia.

Events Before

  1. Argentine General José de San Martín leads a revolutionary army over the Andes to attack Spanish royalists in Chile

    Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land...

  2. Gioachino Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella) premieres at Rome's Teatro Valle

    La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo ("Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant") is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.

  3. The New York Stock Exchange is founded

    The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "the Big Board") is an American stock exchange headquartered at the New York Stock Exchange Building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New…

  4. Tsar of Russia, Nicholas I (21) weds Alexandra Feodorovna [Princess Charlotte] (19) at the Grand Church of the Winter Pa

    Tsar of Russia, Nicholas I (21) weds Alexandra Feodorovna [Princess Charlotte] (19) at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia

  5. Alexander Twilight, likely the first African American to graduate from a US college, receives a BA degree from Middlebur

    Alexander Twilight, likely the first African American to graduate from a US college, receives a BA degree from Middlebury College

Events After

  1. British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore

    British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore

  2. Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading post

    Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of…

  3. Godert van der Capellen, becomes Governor-General of Dutch East Indies

    Godert Alexander Gerard Philip, Baron van der Capellen (Utrecht, 15 December 1778 – De Bilt, 10 April 1848) was a Dutch statesman.

  4. The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States is signed, ceding Florida to the US and defining the boundary

    The Adams–Onís Treaty between Spain and the United States is signed, ceding Florida to the US and defining the boundary between the US and New Spain

  5. Territory of Arkansas organized

    The Arkansas Territory was a territory of the United States from July 4, 1819, to June 15, 1836, when the final extent of Arkansas Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.

More from the 1810s

Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County D

Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County Durham

Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

Field Marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub

US Vice President John C. Calhoun (28) weds Floride Bonneau (19)

US Vice President John C. Calhoun (28) weds Floride Bonneau (19)

French church annuls marriage of Napoleon I and Empress Joséphine

Joséphine Bonaparte was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 January 1810.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 23, 1818?
Neutral Moresnet was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium (after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom of Prussia. It was 1.5km wide and 2.5km long, with an area of 3.5 square kilometres. After 1830, the territory's northernmost border point at Vaalserberg connected it to a quadripoint shared additionally with the Dutch Province of Limburg, the Prussian Rhine Province, and the Belgian Liège Province.
Why is Border demarcation markers for Neutral Moresnet, a small territory administer... significant?
Neutral Moresnet was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium (after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom of Prussia.

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September 23 in HistoryYear 1818